31 MARCH 2015

Australian Boxing Legend Passes Away

Australian boxing legend Lionel Rose passed away on Sunday after several months of ill health-he was 62 years old.

Rose, arguably Australia’s greatest ever boxer, won the WBC/WBA bantamweight titles in February 1968 after out-pointing Fighting Harada via 15 round majority decision. He defended the title three times before being knocked out after five rounds by the legendry Ruben Olivares 18 months later.

He was the first aborigine in boxing history to win a world title and was the first Aborigine to be named Australian Of The Year, in 1968. Rose retired from the ring in 1976 with a record of 42 wins, 11 defeats, 12 by knockout.